Every once in a while I buy a whole cookbook devoted to something special or something I really love like cheesecake. Cheesecake is a many splendored thing! Recently, I found myself throwing a little cheesecake recipe book into my grocery cart and then leaving it on my desk until curiosity reared its head. Glancing at the book, I realized just how much I really like a good cheesecake, and I wondered just how you get a really good quality one.
I think the answer is the temperature of the cheese. Years ago, we left all kinds of things out - butter, eggs, cheese, and nobody thought twice about using these constantly room temperature foods. Today if it isn't refrigerated within ten minutes of purchase, it's heave ho! Not necessary.
Leave your cheese out several hours - won't hurt it or you.
The crust is the first thing to be considered in cheesecake. The question is: what DO you want? The answer is an individual thing. The easiest crust is a ready made - plain graham cracker, chocolate, or vanilla or some of the new crusts.
The other alternative is to make a plain crust from graham crackers butter and sugar, and the third idea is something creative like ground ginger snaps or mint cookies, or even an herb cracker. Remember, it's not an archetype, it's a preference.
If using a homemade crust, the basic recipe is crumbs plus butter plus sugar. For a usual size spring form pan, use 1/2 stick of butter to 1/4 cup sugar to 1.5 cups flour or crumbs ( from graham crackers, or cookies).
Now for the filling:
If using a ready made crust, use two 8-oz blocks of cream cheese. If using a spring form pan, use four 8 oz blocks.
For every block of cream cheese, use 1/3 cup sugar and an egg.
When mixing cream cheese and sugar and eggs, you must beat it hard and for at least three minutes. The cheese must not be lumpy or your cake will be lumpy. Always add 1/4 cup of flour for a spring form and 2 tablespoons for a ready made crust
This is your BASIC recipe.
Now for flavoring -
Nearly anything can go into a cheesecake: Here are some ideas: eggnog, rum, Irish liquor, coffee, chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, pineapple, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, pumpkin, pecan, mint, and just about any other concoction you can come up with. I even saw a coconut macaroon cheesecake listed.
The point to perfection is to make sure your cheesecake batter is smooth and has enough flour to bind it. If you add a liquid like rum, make sure you add a little more flour.
Cheesecakes can even be two layer. Bake one and then the next in the same pan.
The sky is the limit. It takes a little effort to be creative, but with the spring fruit on its way, it is fun to dream about lovely desserts that are easy to make. When you have made your cheesecake batter, it keeps a week without cooking. It's a think you can do a day before you need it, and remember cheesecake ages with a spledored magic. It tastes better the second and third day.
Now imagine a chocolate crust and a crushed raspberry bottom with a light vanilla top to a two layer cheesecake.
Imagine a vanilla crust with a dark chocolate bottom and a caramel top. Melting caramels and stirring them into the cheesecake batter is a delight!
Imagine using mint chocolate chips to line the chocolate cookie crust and then using a few chips to decorate the top of the cake.
How about a caramelized nut liner to a chocolate cheesecake or an Irish cream cheesecake mmmm...
When baking, make sure your cake rises and seems puffed and slightly cracked on top. After you have removed it from the 350 degree oven, let it cool. It will sink slightly in the middle. You can build that up with sweetened sour cream, but it isn't necessary.
Cool on a rack so your crust does not get soggy.
Happy cheesecaking!
No comments:
Post a Comment